Posts in the Historical genre

A horse race in trousers on Rotten Row. Visiting a gaming hall in a dress that would make her mother faint. Sneaking an invitation to a masquerade ball attended by only the wickedest, most debauched members of society…None of these things are scaring off bookish but strong-willed Amelia Bishop’s stuffy, egotistical fiancé.The only thing left is to entice childhood friend Nicholas Wakefield into a truly engagement-ending scandal. The Wakefields are the height of propriety, and Nicholas’s parents have made it clear a wife from the neighboring Bishop family would be unacceptable…But Nicholas would give up his family and his fortune if Amelia would ever see him as more than just a childhood friend. He’ll go along with her scheme, even if it means ruining them both, because he’s got a plan that will change her mind about him being merely the boy next door.

Check out the exclusive excerpt below!

It was late afternoon when Nicholas left the study and he was exhausted. There was only one person who would understand all of the feelings he couldn’t quite find words for. He promised himself he was only going to talk to his friend. He wouldn’t do something foolish, like try to kiss her again. Not that Amelia would notice. She had a remarkable knack for attributing his romantic gestures to playful teasing.

He crossed his property onto the Bishop estate and let himself in. Today, it was a good thing the Bishop household treated him like a member of the family. The staff were rushing around in a frenzy cleaning and moving things in preparation for the engagement party. If he’d waited for someone to notice and announce him, he might have waited all day.

He found Julia first, in the upstairs library, leaning precariously over the back of an armchair with her head angled to an open window.

“The house is in a flurry. Do you know—”

“Shh!” She nearly tipped herself and the chair over in the process of shushing him. “They’ll hear you.”

The daughter of an infamous art forger, Chloe Somerton grew up poor. Desperate to aid her sisters, she’d picked a pocket…or two. Now circumstances have changed, and Chloe has a chance to marry a young, wealthy lord. Only his mentor—a dark, dangerous duke—stands in her way. The duke knows about her past, and she’ll do anything to keep him from telling.

The moment Michael Keswick, the Duke of Cameron, sees Chloe Somerton, he recognizes her as a fraud. The stunning beauty with sapphire eyes and golden hair now appears to be a proper lady, but he knows better. What begins as a battle of wills soon escalates into a fierce attraction. In Chloe, Michael finds peace from the memories of war, but he refuses to marry…and she won’t settle for anything less.

Check out our EXCLUSIVE excerpt below!

The Duke of Cameron’s piercing gaze raked Chloe’s form before returning to her face. “Well…well,” he drawled. “Miss Somerton. What a pleasant surprise.” His tone suggested it wasn’t a surprise at all and that he’d been expecting her to arrive late at night on his doorstep.

Impossible.

Chloe’s heart pounded in her chest as she was held captive by his dark gaze. “May we speak in private, Your Grace?”

“You are alone? No chaperone?”

She swallowed. “I thought it best this way.”

His lips quirked. “Yes. I believe we have something important to discuss that requires the utmost privacy.” He motioned toward the hallway leading from the vestibule. “We can talk in my library. Shall we?”

For a brief moment, her nerves almost faltered, and she clutched her reticule before her.

One dark brow shot upward. “Come now, Miss Somerton. You haven’t sneaked out of your home unchaperoned to visit a bachelor’s residence only to lose your nerve now, have you?”

Lord Jeremy Landon, Earl of Bennington, spent the last ten years rebuilding the ruined earldom he inherited from his scandal-ridden uncle. He has one final debt to repay. In lieu of money, though, he is manipulated into marrying a spinster…

Lady Eliza Burke is tired of living under the rule of a tyrannical mother. She’ll do anything to escape, even marry a man she doesn’t know—and a man her mother despises. Eliza doesn’t believe herself destined for love. Lord Bennington doesn’t believe he’s destined for happiness. Both are about to be tested by a scandal that could tear them apart forever.

And now onto the top 9 reasons why YOU should be watching POLDARK. (No spoilers!)

I have written thirteen Regency novels. Regency is the period when the Prince Regent ruled England after his father, George III, was declared mad. The years that span that time frame are from 1811 to 1820, when King George III died, and the Prince Regent became King George IV. However, there are many books written in the years after that time that are considered “regency” by authors and readers alike.

Over the years, I have done a great deal of research, and my six bulging binders crammed with information on everything from types of carriages to women’s undergarments will testify to that. Since I spend so much time reading and writing about England, London, Bath and country estates, I thought about who my favorite British couples are. There are many, but I decided to write about one couple from real life, a book, a movie and TV show.

Let’s see how my list matches up with yours.

Book: When I asked who readers and other authors favorite British regency couple were, the same couple came up over and over. Amazingly enough, they are also one of my favorites. Devil Cynster and Honoria from Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens are a couple who stick in your mind long after you’ve closed the book. They make an appearance in the rest of the Cynster family series, but their own love story sets the bar for romance. If you haven’t read it, do. You will not be sorry.

Scotland is seething with plots, the vengeful Gordons are spoiling for a fight, and the neighboring clans are at each other’s throats. All it takes is a passionate hellion with a penchant for reckless adventure to ignite the Highlands once more.

Now that is nearly impossible to answer. My husband would love if I settled on just five…he says the shelves would thank me…lol.

So, some titles that stick to my mind…

Mackenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard—One of my old favorites.

The Crossfire series by Sylvia Day—Sylvia really captivated me with this saga.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—Love it!

The Operator֫—Not a romance but I’m enjoying the story.

Skye O’Malley—I cut my teeth on this one. Beatrice Small took me on an adventure and it’s still one of the books I go back and read.

Reading is like going to a well-stocked wine cellar. There are so many wonderful tastes and delights in there. You pick one out depending on the moment, the meal it’s to be paired with, and the friends who are there to share the moment. Books are a lot like that. One type of story suits the season, while another resonates with your mood, and yet a different one will touch you with how well it fits in with the circumstances of your life at that moment. I know for myself, when I’m reading on the beach or vacation, I want a great story, some humor but not so much a life and death situation. While in the middle of a snow storm, bring me those Navy Seals!

Proud Scot and Fallen co-owner, Lord Iain ‘Vice’ Vissen is dedicated to performing in and producing the pleasure club’s hedonistic shows. Until the night he apprehends a rogue footman in their midst and discovers the spy is Lady Mairi MacNair—the woman who long ago broke his heart.

Born an earl’s daughter but now a seamstress, Mairi has returned to London to help open a superior pleasure club to Fallen, and finally realize her dream of being the seductive leading lady. But when she discovers her main rival is Iain, the man she loved beyond reason and was forced to abandon, she is soon caught in a web of lies, secrets, and raw, scorching passion that time hasn’t dimmed…

Check out an exclusive excerpt below!

Damn him! What the hell was Iain doing at the Castlereagh soiree?

Her heart pounding, Mairi leaned against the wall next to the window.

Everything had been going so well, even easier than she’d thought. There was little interaction between temporary and permanent staff. Which was perfect, because no talking meant no probing questions while she spied.

When we decided to tackle a dual timeline for My Rogue, My Ruin (MRMR) and My Darling, My Disaster (MDMD), we were so excited for the chance to write about two different couples falling in love under their own sets of circumstances, but over the same course of time. We had no idea what we were signing up for, but the challenge of making each story stand alone and yet having each one thread into the other was equally intriguing. We were especially delighted to write Gray and Lana’s story, and their belowstairs, secret master-servant relationship.

That said, doing a dual timeline story opened up a whole can of worms we did not anticipate. First, we created a document which included all of the days and hours we had to play around with for Gray and Lana to develop their relationship. In other words, if Lana was attending to Brynn as her lady’s maid in MRMR, she couldn’t be canoodling with Gray in MDMD. And since we know that our savvy romance readers would hold us to task, we had to be extremely careful to make sure those timelines were carefully aligned.

The second challenge we encountered were the few overlapping scenes. A couple of these scenes were relevant to both books, so we simply had to include them. While MDMD has a couple scenes drawn straight from MRMR, they’re from a totally different perspective—which was so fun to write. For example, one scene from MRMR shows Gray being a complete jerk. But in MDMD, the scene is shown from Gray’s perspective and the reader is given valuable insight as to why he’s being such a pain in the arse.

Love the Beauty and the Beast remake? (Those costumes, that character design, that uncomfortably attractive candelabra) Get a taste of that courtesan charm with the ever-so-dashing William Danbury of Once a Courtesan!

Occupation: Officer of the Crown, Westminster Special Constabulary (AKA “Gonson’s Boys”) in the year 1727

Hello, Mr. Danbury.

Please, call me Will.

All right, Will. Thanks so much for granting us this interview.

The pleasure is mine, madam.

You’ve just played a significant role in what is being touted as London’s first major triumph over the rampant crime that has plagued the city in recent years. Tell us a little about yourself. Why don’t we start with your family?

Very well. I’m my mother’s only son and the youngest of eight children—

Sometimes a story comes along that sets you back on your heels and makes you think about how fate (or God if you will) often gives you a second chance. This story was Texas Redemption and it showed me just how strong the power of love is. And how much you ache when it’s a love you can’t claim.

This is the kind of story that ties your stomach in knots and you see no way to a HEA. But hold on. Don’t give up.

Brodie Yates (Shenandoah) first met Laurel James during the Civil War in a brothel. She was only fifteen or sixteen but they fell in love. He promised to go back and get her but the war got in the way. Then at war’s close, he’s hunted for being an infamous rebel spy. Laurel waited for him but had to conclude that he’d either been killed—or that he didn’t want her.

Desperate to escape the brothel where she’d been taken at fifteen after being kidnapped, she enlists the help of the cook. They make their way to Redemption, Texas where she can hide from those who are looking to take her back. Her family lives near but she’s too ashamed to go to them. Even though it wasn’t her doing, her soul is stained. She and her friend open a café and she becomes engaged to the town mayor. She burns with determination to find redemption and respectability.

We’re back from a holiday weekend and there are only two things keeping us alive right now: Spite and this amazing excerpt from Tamara Gill‘s Only A Duke Will Do!

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but you cannot stop Isolde from marrying. She will marry one day. It may not be me, but it will be someone. And if the reports around London are correct, she is looking for a husband.”

“Damn you to hell.” Merrick left Wardoor, grabbed a half-filled bottle of whisky from the pavilion, and started toward the Italian Walk. He found a secluded grassy spot within the trees. The sweet-smelling scent floating on the breeze did little to lesson his ire.

Merrick clung to the tree branch above his head and fought not to snap it off, imagining it as Wardoor’s neck. He flung back a good portion of the whisky and welcomed the burn to his throat. How could his closest friend do this to him?

The thought of Isolde welcoming his attentions was like a physical blow.